Cable coming back to JCP Fitness Center

Photo Courtesy of USD AthleticsAriel view of the University of San Diego Sports Center and athletic facilities.

Good news Toreros: DIRECTV is coming to the Jenny Craig Pavilion gym. We can expect these changes to be made by the beginning of Thanksgiving break courtesy of Associated Students and Athletic Facility Operations.

Television has become a leisurely activity among many peoples’ lives and has been successfully integrated into other aspects of our daily routines to provide both entertainment and news.

College can be a very hectic time for students. Since time is so limited, we often multitask to enhance our productivity. University of San Diego’s Jenny Craig Fitness Center is a popular spot on campus that has successfully combined fitness and entertainment. Recently, USD’s contract with our television provider, Cox Communication, expired and left the gym without functioning televisions.

A regular at the JCP fitness center, sophomore Sal Schaner expressed his concern that this change was influencing the effectiveness of his workouts.

“Not having access to SportsCenter in the gym forced me to shorten my workouts so I could get back to my room to keep updated on the games,” Schaner said. “I’ll be excited to have this great amenity back in the gym soon.”

JCP placed signs on each of the televisions stating, “Fitness Center Users: USD has terminated their contract with Cox, so there is no longer a campus TV feed. This may change in the future, but for now we are working on a different solution. Thank you for your patience, and we apologize for the inconvenience.”

The termination of these amenities that our fitness facilities previously provided, did not go unnoticed.

Students and faculty alike expressed frustration with this abrupt change and felt something should be done to fix this inconvenience. Our university community accommodates for the needs of the students to make our time here an enjoyable and meaningful learning experience. An added benefit to attending a smaller university is the ability of students to make systemic change on campus.

Photo Courtesy of Campus RecreationUSD students get healthy and happy.

Associated Students acts as the liaison between students and the administration on campus to interpret student desires and provide for the needs of the community from our perspective.

AS President Katie Coutermarsh actively understands the needs of all students and is the leading voice for undergraduate concerns. When she heard about the complaints coming from students regarding the lack of programming content on campus, Katie and other AS representatives took action and reached out to the Facilities Management in the Athletic Department to see what measures were being taken to address the problem.

The Athletic Department oversees the operations of all facilities and was previously informed of the growing inconvenience at the gym. While frustrations were high with the lack of programming on the screens, USD’s administration and facilities management does a lot of unseen work that in turn makes our campus a special place to call home.

In an email response to Coutermarsh, Branda Cook, the Assistant Director of Athletics Facilities and Operations, reported on the issue.

“We are aware of the complaints and have been working toward a solution,” Cook said. “The good news is that new flat screen TV’s are being installed by the end of next week and DIRECTV is being installed starting tomorrow.”

It is encouraging to know faculty and administration on campus understand the needs of students and are addressing issues promptly to make our campus experience productive and rewarding.

Budgeting for campus facilities is a difficult process as the university tries to balance meeting the demands of students with the allocation of funds provided to meet those needs. A campus-wide budget adjustment from last year came in the form of dropping the cable television provider contract for programming in the residential halls to update the Wi-Fi for better capability. Many students were unaware of this change but understood the transition was benefitting more students who utilize their computers for more and more each day.

After the frenzy about the cable subscription in residential halls subsided, students found alternative ways to obtain information via online streaming and other campus television outlets. Frank’s Lounge, Student Living Pavilion, Olin Hall, and common areas in residential halls are still functioning.

“Many TV’s are still up and running, because a new subscription was made with DIRECTV for certain areas,” Coutermarsh said.

Associated Students and USD administration play an integral part in making important changes based on input they receive from the students. The DIRECTV contract is just one example of frustrations being voiced and USD students should expect cable soon.

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